If it was too cold, too hot, too windy, and definitely if it was raining, I wasn’t going. That was my attitude for years when deciding if I was going to head out on my bicycle. But, something changed this past year and I’ve become just shy of obsessed with road cycling.

A few months ago I came across a blog post on Design Intelligence (one of my favorite blogs) about the University of Hartford setting up a student studio in the office space of a local architectural firm. What started off as an opportunity for a growing graduate school to use some excess space in a firm leftover from the effects of the recession, turned into an opportunity to possibly rethink how architecture education could be enhanced through an immersive experience. This idea was/is very appealing to me, but unfortunately I thought the article was more slanted toward the benefit to the students and it missed almost entirely how the firm could also benefit beyond filling vacant lease space. READ MORE

November 2nd, 2012|Comments Off on So…You Wanna Be an Architect?|Work It

I like to draw. Most architects do, but I’ve enjoyed art from an early age and learned to oil paint from my grandmother who lived next door to me when I was in grade school. Some grandmother’s homes smelled like cookies; mine smelled like linseed oil.So, I wasn’t one of those kids who took the Legos or Lincoln Log route to architecture that you hear about. As a kid I went to art camp (which was probably second on the “dork” list to band camp). In college, I only found architecture after taking my first drafting class and transferred into architecture from graphic design (thinking it was a better career choice). READ MORE

The ideas and insights shared on SpeakEasy are intended to stimulate thought, inspire innovation and fuel breakthrough ideas that create a better future for people. SpeakEasy is authored by the restless minds at Little, a national, multi-disciplinary design firm.

Jim is so severely right-brained he tends to lean that direction when he walks. He thinks by drawing and always has a sketchbook (or three) in hand – except when he’s on one of his cycling trips. Jim enjoys imagining with others what’s possible and what he calls “new invention”. He values his family and is proud of his three unique children. Jim, Little’s National Director of Design, is often told that he bears a close resemblance to Zoolander.